Read this when
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
She's the grumpy concierge who secretly reads Tolstoy. 🦔 If you've spent years hiding the real you so nobody expects too much, this one's for you.
Who it's for
Renée, a widowed concierge, hides a passion for Tolstoy, philosophy and Japanese film behind a deliberately dull, grumpy facade, because she believes people of her class aren't supposed to have inner lives; Paloma, a gifted 12-year-old in a wealthy family, fin.
Feelings it meets
What it is
Muriel Barbery's French novel, published in 2006 and translated into English by Alison Anderson in 2008, is set in an elegant apartment building at 7 rue de Grenelle in Paris. It alternates between two narrators. Renée, the building's widowed concierge, hides her love of philosophy, literature and art behind the persona of an ordinary caretaker.
Where to find it
In print (Europa Editions); widely available from libraries (Libby/Hoopla) and as an audiobook. Not public domain.
Before you start
Heads up: A 12-year-old's plan to end her life.
Age: Ages 14+
One ever feels his twoness,—an American, a Negro; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings;W. E. B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk, Chapter 1
